Evolution History

• Evolution is the process of growth and development by which organisms have grown and developed from past organisms.
• Evidence is information provided by witnesses or derived from documents; hearsay evidence is not admissible in court.

Paleontologists

• Discovered many fossils that gave them a picture of the past.
• Became more interested in the evolution of organisms and their environment due to their discoveries.

John Ray (1627-1705)

• Established the modern concept of a species.
• Noted that members of one species do not interbreed with members of another species.
• First used the term "species" as the basis of taxonomy.
• Studied fossils and recognized the remnants of organisms that were once alive.

Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)

• Developed the modern taxonomic system that is still in use today.

Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788)

• Wrote a 36-volume "Histoire" series.
• Contributed to the debate on the age of Earth.
• Proposed Earth initially formed in a molten state, requiring a gradual cooling period longer than 70,000 years.
• Considered the role of vestigial organs, suggesting species could descend from earlier organisms.

Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802)

• Charles Darwin's grandfather.
• Recognized that modern organisms differ from collected fossils.
• Believed that offspring inherit traits from their parents and that modern organisms descended from a common ancestor.

Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)

• Studied and wrote books on comparative anatomy.
• Was useful in interpreting fossil remains.
• Classified animals based on their body plan.
• His classifications became important in analyzing relationships among organisms.
• His fossil studies contributed to the science of paleontology.
• Recognized that particular groups of fossil organisms were associated with certain rock strata.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)

• Proposed the theory of use and disuse.
• States that organisms develop traits due to frequent use.
• Proposed that acquired traits could be passed on to offspring.
• He was a french naturalist and one of the first scientists to recognize that living things have changed over time.
• Proposed that all species descended from other species.

Theory of Use and Disuse

• Organisms could alter the size, shape, or structure of particular body parts or organs by continuously using them in new ways.

Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

• Organisms inherit traits from their parents and can pass them on to offspring.
• Lamarck's theories of use and disuse and inheritance of acquired characteristics have been proven incorrect.
• Lamarck was unaware of how traits were inherited differently than Darwin.

James Hutton (1726-1797)

• Made meaningful contributions to understanding geological processes that shaped Earth.
• Recognized that Earth is extremely old, millions of years old.
• No need for global catastrophes to shape Earth's surface.

Charles Lyell (1797-1875)

• Considered the shaping of Earth's surface as a result of gradual, long-term natural changes.
• Collected evidence to support uniformitarianism.
• Wrote about it in "Principles of Geology," which influenced Charles Darwin's theory.

Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882)

• Proposed that best-adapted organisms are those that survive, breed, and pass on traits.
• Developed the theory of evolution by natural selection.
• Used it as a coherent explanation for the form and distribution of species indifferent locations.
• Noted that characteristics of animals, like tortoise shells or bird beaks, vary from island to island.
• Found that species differ by location and that similar-looking animals can belong to distinct species, like the mockingbird.
• Wrote "On the Origin of Species," proposing evolution by natural selection.
• Explained the natural occurrence of evolution with Thomas Malthus.
• Malthus' discoveries included the importance of high birth rates and a shortage of life's basic needs.
• Malthus determined that a shortage would force organisms into competition for resources.

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)

• Independently studied the origin of organisms.
• Concluded that organisms with favorable traits are those that carry on to the next generation.
• Contributed to the postulates of Darwin's theory of evolution.

Evidence of Evolution

• Observations that support evolutionary theory, including:
  • Biogeography: geographical distribution of organisms.
  • Fossil Records: history of life on Earth.
  • DNA and Protein Sequences: advanced tool for evolution.
  • Homologous Structures: evolution by comparing certain body parts of different animals.
  • Embryology: similarities in early organism development.

Biogeography

• The study of the distribution of plants and animals on Earth.
• The distribution of organisms in an environment is a significant tool for explaining evolution.

Fossil Record

• A fossil contains preserved remains or evidence of ancient organisms.
• Provides strong evidence of the history of life on Earth.
• Demonstrates how different groups of organisms have changed over time.

Homology

• Evidence of evolution is gathered by comparing certain body parts of animals.
• Limbs of vertebrates, including humans, turtles, bats, and whales, have similar bone structures.
• Similar bone structures are called homologous structures.

Embryology

• Similarities in the early development of various organisms are evidence for evolution.
• Different organisms have similar structures during early embryological development.

DNA/Protein Sequences

• The study of DNA and protein sequences is important for identifying the evolution of organisms.
• DNA sequencing is the most advanced tool or evidence for evolution.
• Similarities in DNA sequences among organisms indicate their close relation to one another.